DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY

Field Experience School Psychology (PsyD)

In addition to required coursework, candidates complete a series of field experiences.

Residency

Each student must satisfy the residency requirement within the first year. In the
School PsyD Program “residency” reflects an intensive commitment to the program by
being on campus for a significant period of the program. Candidates in the PsyD program
must earn 27 credits within one 12-month period. This is designed to occur in the
first year of the program and allows students the opportunity to develop an affiliation
with faculty, colleagues and the profession.

Practicum & Externship

Practicum and externship experiences during the second, third, and fourth years of
the PsyD program are designed to provide graduate students with a broad range of professional
activities including: advanced psychoeducational and behavioral assessment; psychodiagnostics;
primary, secondary, and tertiary research-based interventions; consultation; applied
research; and collaboration with colleagues.

Internship

The internship provides the school psychology doctoral student with an intensive,
supervised work experience to develop, practice, and integrate new clinical skills.
It represents the culmination of the doctoral experience, the last practical training
step before becoming a doctoral level school psychologist. Internship may not be completed
in less than one year, as per the requirements of the American Psychological Association
(APA), the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC),
the National Register for Health Service Providers, and the Pennsylvania State Board
of Psychology for pre-doctoral internships. Students work collaboratively with the
Director of Clinical training to secure approved placements.

1,500 to 2,000 hours

Full-time (40 hrs per week) for one year

OR half time (20 hrs per week) for two years

Face-to-face individual supervision by a doctoral-level licensed psychologist for
a minimum of 2 hours per week